


A Tale of Time and Darkness But Backwards

by sapphireszefishh



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), mcyt
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Brothers, Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-18
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:02:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28833105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphireszefishh/pseuds/sapphireszefishh
Summary: Mystery dungeons... There are a lot of them scattered around the world. They hold so many secrets and truly can become one of the wonders of the world all together. These places can even be keys to finding precious treasures, but... There is something you can't just take and it would be better if you left it alone.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	1. Chapter 1: This Isn't Real!

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, so this is my first ever fanfiction. Keep in mind that English is not my first language but I'm trying my best to tell you my story. Constructive criticism is much appreciated! 
> 
> Basically this is Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky crossover, but I took only the concept of mystery dungeons and the time gears plot (and everything that's connected to it). Who played these games should know, who didn't - I'll explain this later in chapters.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy reading :D

(.............)

"W-where am I?.. Am I... dreaming this?.." many different thoughts were filling Wilbur's mind at that moment.

He felt like he was lying on the floor. Is it even a normal floor? He finally managed to open his eyes. There was nothing around him, only the swirling background emitting greenish light. It felt surreal and brunet could not help but look at this scenery for a couple of seconds. But then he snapped back to reality: something isn't right. Definitely.

"Huh?.." he thought to himself " I can... see someone?.."

And Will wasn't wrong. A few meters away there was a person. But not just the person.

"W-WILBUR?!" a familiar voice shouted. This yell made Wilbur wide awake.

"This voice... I've heard it somewhere, haven't I?.." Then he realised. He looked up at that person to see if his theory was right. And it was right. It was Dream. The same Dream he was playing Minecraft with now is standing in front of him. But of course, he was wearing his iconic mask with a silly smiley face on it. The same can be said about the hoodie he was wearing. Very iconic. Wilbur managed to stand up and spoke first after a short awkward silence.

"Where are we?!" he asked with visible confusion on his face.

"Don't ask me! I'm trapped here just like you!" the green man shouted.

Wilbur looked around hoping to find anything else besides this magical background. And something caught his attention. This "something" was a white cluster of light. It was very bright and Will instinctively shielded his eyes while trying to look at it.

"Hey Dream, have you checked this out?" man pointed at his newest find.

"Oh, yeah... This looks like some kind of a portal but I'm not sure... I didn't have time to check it out, because you suddenly appeared."

“Suddenly appeared, huh?..” Wilbur pinched his hand hoping to wake up in his house like nothing happened. Like it was just a crazy dream. But unfortunately, he continued to stand right there with Dream in this bizarre dimension. Wilbur was confused and started to feel desperate. But the second these thoughts crawled into Wilbur's mind Dream spoke.

"Okay, time to think, Will".

Wilbur instantly forgot about what he was thinking and decided to listen to what his, now ally, has to say.

"We can't stay here any longer... Hey, how about going into this... portal?.. Whatever it is. We don't seem to have many options left..."  
Brunet looked at Dream with a doubt on his face but then finally spoke.

"You're right. I don't know where this thing is gonna bring us but you're right, we can't stay here." Wilbur hesitated a little but then he stepped towards the light. "Shall we go then?"

"Sure" the masked man replied.

Fear of the unknown, many many doubts - he threw all of them to the side. For now they just have to figure out the purpose of this strange cluster of light. Both walked towards the portal. Right when they were awfully close to it Will heard a small bump.

"Ouch! W-what is this?!" Dream almost fell over in confusion but somehow remained on his feet. The same didn't happen to Wilbur though.

"Huh?.." Soot turned around right when he was about to enter the portal, looking slightly shocked. "Are you feeling tired or something?" he chuckled a bit despite the situation he was in.

"N-no! Is there like, an invisible wall?!"

"Huh? No... There isn't any." Wilbur took a big step back and immediately stepped forward. "See? You can walk just fine."

"Well, you can. But it seems... I can't." Dream stretched out his arms to this invisible wall and he managed to touch it.

Wilbur looked at him in confusion. "But that means..."

"Yeah, seems like I can't go with you." Dream always kept his facial expressions behind the mask, but Will heard a note of despair in his voice. It was clear what he was thinking now.

The taller man started to worry. Dream was the only person that ended up here with Will. He may be the only one besides Wilbur who knows what's really going on. They can't split up just like that!.. But it seems that fate has decided otherwise from the start.

"Well... Too bad!" The blonde tried to stay calm and collected despite this hopeless situation. "Go without me then. I believe in you. You're a smart guy, you can get to the bottom of this."

Wilbur was unsure if he should enter an unknown dimension alone. But he still doesn't have any choice. He sighed and replied.

"I will figure this out, no matter what. I promise. Dream... Stay safe."

"You too, Wilbur."

Brunet hesitated again. He said to himself:  
"Come on, pull yourself together, big man!" That's... what Tommy would say to me now... No, I can't reminisce now, it's not the time!" Wilbur was finally ready to go. He looked at Dream one last time and finally walked into the portal. The last thing he could hear was a faint "good luck" behind him.


	2. Chapter 2: Well, Maybe It Is Real...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw// a few swearwords (if it bothers you)

As soon as Wilbur entered the portal, he wasn’t touching the ground anymore. In fact, he was falling down the strange tunnel of mist. Will couldn't help but scream at the top of his lungs. Was he falling to his death or… to his new life? He didn’t know the answer. 

“Am I going to fall endlessly?..” This and the similar thoughts were going through Wilburs mind. 

(.............)

Time passed. Will didn’t know for how long he was falling. He didn’t even scream anymore, he was just in deep thought. But then… He finally hit the ground. Unable to withstand the pain, he fainted.

(............)

“H-huh?..” the man thought to himself. “I am… alive?.. I think I hear a voice… It’s so near…”

“H-hey, w-wake up! Please, Wilbur!!” the voice shouted. Strange… this voice is so familiar too...  
Person started shaking Wilbur to check if he’s alive. And it made brunet open his eyes.

Person above him sighed in relief and without hesitation hugged the man. Wilbur then realised who it was. Without a doubt, it was Tommy. That one annoying child, but also good friend of Wilbur. 

“H-hey, don’t scare me like that ever again, prick!!” Tommy shouted with irritation and at the same time relief in his voice. “Are you okay?!”

Even though Wilbur was unexpectedly insulted just now, he replied: “Im fine, I think...” The younger let Wilbur go and he managed to barely stand up, but instantly fell on his knees. For some unknown reason he wasn't injured, just a bit frail.

“W-Woah! Are you sure about that?!” the blonde shouted and tried to help his buddy stand up. “Here, hold on to my back”. 

“N-no, I'm fine! Hold on...” Wilbur then finally stood up. Now he could think about what is going on around him. He was surrounded by beautiful green trees. Presumably oak. By the look of it, they were in a forest. Will have never seen a forest this bright and clean. Then he looked to his left. There was a small stream with crystal clear water. It looked like a miracle! Wilbur stood there fascinated, but not for long.

“Heeeey!” Tommy interrupted his train of thoughts. “Don’t just stare at things, tell me what happened to you!”

Wilbur looked at the teen. He wasn’t wearing his usual clothes, like that red and white shirt he was wearing all the time and jeans. Rather he was wearing a very old-fashioned outfit: a white shirt which was slightly torn in some places, beige pants and brown leather boots. Also he had a bag he carried over his shoulder. He looked like a peasant, this was Wilbur's first impression of… different Tommy? He wasn’t sure.

“Umm, you act kinda weird, big man.” At least something was screaming that it was in fact Tommy - his manner of speech. “By the way, where is your stuff? Don’t tell me you lost it all!” the kid seemed annoyed. 

“Did I have something on me?” Wilbur asked himself. He looked down at himself and realised that he was wearing a dark brown coat and black jeans. Under the coat there was a white shirt. “This outfit is strangely familiar,” he confirmed to himself. Then Wilbur realised: “He’ll not believe me if I say that I’m not the same Wilbur he knows. For sure. It seems like I... have to lie.” Brunet really didn’t want to but there is no choice. 

The kid looked concerned. “Did you hit your head or something? And now you don’t remember me?..” He looked a little sad.

“N-no, I remember you, Tommy. But I don’t quite understand what happened to me…” Luckily for him, he was a great actor. 

Tommy then suddenly remembered something: “Hey, I haven’t seen you in ages, man! Where have you been all this time, you dickhead?! You just left without a word!” Tommy pointed at him accusingly.

Wilbur became even more confused with this situation and desperately tried to come up with an answer.

“Don’t tell me you don’t remember this either!” the younger shouted. 

Wilbur walked up to an angry kid and put his hand on Tommys shoulder.

“Listen Tommy, yes, I don’t remember how I left you and what has happened after that. But if that’s what I really did, I’m sorry. I mean this! Please, believe me! I don’t remember a thing!”

Tommy looked at his older brother, angrily. But at the same time he felt really bad for him. Maybe only because he was his brother, Tom wasn’t sure. 

“Well, anyway…” Tommy stuttered for a second “...we can’t just stay here. Let’s go home? If you still want to…”

Wilbur wasn’t sure if he should reply, but he did anyway: “Let’s go home, Tommy.” 

“If only I knew where this ‘home’ is…” brunet wondered.

***

They had been walking for two minutes already and no one said a word during this time. It started to become even more awkward. Wilbur then decided to speak first.

“Tommy, how did you find me here?” He decided to start off with this question.

“Well…” Tommy paused for a second. “I was looking for red apples in this forest! I’ve searched every goddamn apple tree here and didn’t find any!” He was sure frustrated. “And then I just found you lying there unconscious. You scared me, I didn’t expect to see you here, Will!”

“Oh, so that happened… I got it.” Wilbur didn’t know what else to say.

“I couldn't just leave you there, you know, like you did, big brother” he spoke the last two words with disregard. The taller felt bad for something that he didn’t even do. Or he did it after all? Everything became even more confusing. “Wait. Did he just call me ‘brother’?” he asked himself. “Maybe we are brothers in this, uhh… universe? Seems like it…” 

After this conversation they continued to walk in silence. No one could find any topic to talk about. They felt like complete strangers to each other, maybe because they haven’t spoken in a long time, like Tommy said. In the end they passed the forest and entered a small meadow. After a while Wilbur saw a wooden path and everything surrounding it in the distance. This scenery seemed awfully familiar. Brunet was shocked: it was the Dream SMP but something was different… He’s not playing on a Minecraft server anymore, now it all happening for real. Gladly, he remembered the server’s map really well. He knew for sure, they were passing by Punz’s house. It looked even more impressive and richer than it did in Minecraft. Wilbur looked around impressed, as if he hasn’t seen all of these buildings ever before. No wonder, now it wasn’t Minecraft anymore. By the time they got to Tommy's house the sun was already setting. They climbed the steps of the wooden path and Tommy suddenly stopped. 

“Do you remember what this place is at least?..” Tommy asked his brother hoping he remembers the times they spent together in this house.

“It’s your house, right?” Wrong. Their house. 

Tommy sighed sadly “Uhh, kinda… It’s our house, Will.”

Right. He must now focus on what is happening in this world if he wants to escape from here. Their house looked like an ugly dirt shack from outside. He wouldn't even notice that there is a house if it wasn’t for a wooden door sticking out in a cliff. Both came to the door.

“Welcome home, Wilbur” said Tommy with a slight smile on his face even though he still felt a little resentful. 

“...Thank you, Tommy.” 

“Please, come in.” The younger opened the door and went into the dirt shack. Wilbur then did the same.

Inside house looked a lot better. The walls inside weren't earthen, they were supported by thick wooden planks. Floor was made out of wooden planks too. In the corner there was one big furnace and a table with a variety of tools on it. In the opposite corner there was a bed and stairs down, presumably leading into the basement. The atmosphere here overall was warm and cozy, but didn’t match the owner's personality at all.

“Will, do you remember where your room is?” the blonde asked while moving things from his bag into the big chest next to the table.

Wilbur looked around the room, he spotted another door near the chest Tommy was filling with a small amount of items he had. Brunet walked to this door and said basically at random: 

“Here.”

“Yup, at least you remember this…” the younger sighed and continued “I don’t really wanna talk today, sorry… By the way, how do you feel?” Wilbur was wondering why he cared so much? It doesn’t sound like him in any way.

“Oh, don’t worry, I feel alright, thanks for asking!” the man smiled sweetly. 

“Okay, uhh, good night then...” Tommy replied awkwardly. “We’ll talk tomorrow then.” He closed the chest and headed towards the bed.

“Sure thing! Good night, Tommy” said Wilbur and walked into his room.

Tommy still held a grudge against Wilbur. “He’s still my brother… Maybe he had reasons to leave… Ughh, I don’t know anymore!!!” the blonde hit the pillow with his fist. Then laid down in frustration and tried to get some sleep.

***

The lights were off, but Will could see the outline of the bed to his right. He didn’t even bother to light the lanterns, it’s not important right now. He lay down on the bed and thought about what happened to him today. He had so many questions, but all of them remain unanswered. Like, what is he doing here, how did he appear here? He thought of many possible reasons why. Then he remembered all of a sudden: Dream is still trapped in that… room? Dimension? Yes, that is the word. Will thought how he was doing there alone? How can he save Dream? 

“Still, thinking about it won’t help right now… I have to get some sleep, I’m exhausted…” The brunet wasn’t sure he'd get any sleep though, but after about ten minutes he managed to close his eyes. Tomorrow is the new day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okaay, now interesting stuff begins :D This chapter came out faster cuz I wrote it in December. I'm still working on third chapter, will post it probably in a week or so


	3. Chapter 3: The First Exploration

~~~~~~~~~

Silence. Complete silence in the room. Can you call it a room?.. No, he was floating in the space of greenish clouds. 

  
("Huh?.. I recognize this…")

  
And then it hit him. He was in the same place where he met his ally Dream. 

  
("Wait. There is no way... I ended up here again!")

  
But this time was a little different. He couldn't feel his body at all. It felt like a dream.

Suddenly, he sees a flickering figure in front of him. He could barely tell who it was. Confused, the man made an attempt to speak.

  
"H-hello? Who are you?.. Huh? No, wait! Don't go away!!" the dreamer shouted, but the figure vanished into thin air as quickly as it appeared. 

  
("Who this was? Someone I know?..")

  
As soon as the figure disappeared Will felt faint… 

~~~~~~~~~

The man woke up to the sound of a loud rummaging. Fortunately this annoying rattle has stopped quickly. It gave Wilbur some time to think about that dream. Is someone trying to reach out to him? He could think only of one person but he quickly put this thought to the side.  
  


("No, that's just ridiculous.")  
  


The room still was as dark as yesterday. Will decided that it would be a good idea to light up these lanterns already. Trying to find something of use, he spotted a shelf near the exit. There was still some light coming through the door so he could see it almost clearly. The brunet got up and looked at the shelf's contents. He saw his objective - a lantern, an empty flower pot and a flint and steel lying beside it.   
  


("Perfect!")  
  


He grabbed the flint and steel and looked at the lantern, he realised something.  
  


("I don't even know how to light it! They are living in a stone age or something?!")  
  


But after a few seconds of messing around with a lantern he finally figured how to open it. He put the lighted lantern back on the shelf. Surprisingly it was very bright, at least bright enough to see what's going on in the room. He decided to finally explore his new place of residence. The room wasn't small but wasn't too big either. Unlike Tommy's room the walls in his room were supported by neatly cut stone slabs. The floor was still planked though. He looked at his bed and noticed something near it that he got immediately excited about - an acoustic guitar. It doesn't look used for a long time though. Wilbur came up to an instrument and picked it up examining the scratches and overall usability of it. He played a few notes and immediately his musician's ears heard that the guitar wasn't tuned. Will thought of tuning it now, but it seems it's not the time now. He decided to explore the room a bit more and put the guitar on the floor against the wall. He saw a wardrobe and a desk beside it. He didn't find anything else particularly interesting. 

Then he remembered something: he's supposed to talk to Tommy today about yesterday. For Will it was a perfect chance to figure something useful out so he without hesitation left his room. 

As he walked into the workshop, concurrently Tommy's bedroom, he saw the boy rummaging in the chest really loudly. But as he saw Wilbur he jumped a little and put a stop to an annoying rattle.  
  


"Oh, hey… Woke up already I see…" Tommy noticed. He looked at his older brother but quickly looked away. Maybe he was still feeling awkward after yesterday.

Wilbur wanted to reply but Tommy was ahead of him.  
  


"So, I've been thinking… You don't remember anything, right? Maybe there is a way for you to remember?"  
  


Tommy walked away from the chest and sat on a chair next to the table.   
  


"O-oh! I think I figured it out! You probably don't remember this but as kids we used to explore the forest not that far from here. Maybe if we go there again, you will remember something!"  
  


"Forest, huh… Well, if it  _ will  _ help then I'm down. Let's go."   
  


"Okay! Oh, wait, I forgot to say. This forest is a mystery dungeon so we should prepare."  
  


"Mystery dungeon?.. I'm not sure I understand… Is it, like, underground?" Wilbur became even more confused.  
  


"Don't tell me you don't-… Uh, fine, I'll explain to you." Tommy became irritated at his forgettable sibling but decided to explain anyway.  
  


"So, mystery dungeons. There are many of them across the world. Everybody searches for them in order to try and find treasures. But most of them are just empty at the end. These dungeons are really weird, every time you enter one of them, the layout changes and things you find there too. Pretty mysterious, huh?"  
  


"Yeah, really weird… I got it."  
  


"Ahh, Forest of Spirits.. I haven't been there in ages, man!" The younger began to rant and completely forgot about Will standing there. Typical. "I always ask Tubbo to go there with me but every time he goes "noooo, we're not allowed to beee thereee". I end up just walking around the town for the rest of the day, annoying!" His impression of Tubbo surprisingly was accurate. 

  
("Tubbo, huh? I reckon these two are best friends even here. Even different universes can't separate them, heh") Will smiled slightly while Tommy still sat there with an annoyed expression on his face but quickly snapped back to reality.  
  


"Hey, I'm gonna go find Tubbo, maybe he'll agree to go with us too! There is stuff in the chests you'd probably need in the dungeon. Be right back." And with that Tommy hurried to leave the house. Will noticed that and could feel him. The boy hasn't seen his brother in so long that supposedly left him completely alone. It's only natural he'd act this way. Wilbur decided to open the chest and find something useful to take on an adventure. He looked through the things in the chest. It contained a lot of different items from a small amount of metal ingots to slightly glowing liquid in glass bottles.   
  


("He sure has a lot of stuff. I wonder if he got this all himself…")  
  


Something lying in the chest's corner caught Wilbur's eye. A large shoulder bag made out of thick cloth. He decided to peek in it. And he actually found something in there: a big combat knife in a leather scabbard. The handle was made out of gray metal and was wrapped in yellow cloth. The blade looked really sharp and Wilbur didn't want to cut himself so he decided to put it back in the scabbard and attached it to the belt. For some reason this kind of weapon appealed to him the most.   
  


("Wait, why does he even have weapon this intimidating?!")  
  


He decided not to ask about this. He quickly took some potions, some food from the barrel and other stuff that seemed useful and put it all in the bag. It turned out not that full and not that empty at the same time.   
  


("Hmm, what's taking him so long?..")  
  


Will decided to go out and look for him. And just as he left the house he could see two boys in the distance talking about something. Tommy was waving his arms briskly and the boy next to him was looking at his friend with a surprised look. Soon both spotted Wilbur and Tubbo ran over to him.  
  


"W-wilbur?! You came back?! Hi, nice to see you again!" Tubbo exclaimed joyfully.   
  


"Hello, Tubbo!"  
  


"Sooo, did you find the thing you were looking for?"  
  


("Wait, what thing?! What am I supposed to say?!")

"Uhh, no unfortunately" he made a frustrated expression.  
  


"Well, better luck next time I guess!" Tubbo looked really cheerful, even more than before, Wilbur thought.   
  


"Told you Tubbo, now you believe me huh?!"  
  


"Well,yeah, I believe you now. If your bro is with us, I guess there is no problem."   
  


"YES!!!" exclaimed Tommy happily.   
  


"Where are we going exactly?" the brunet boy asked.  
  


"Forest of Spirits! Now there are three of us and I'm sure we can get to the deepest part of this forest!"  
  


Tubbo gave his friend an unsure look.  
  


"You heard the rumours, right? I'll go with you, but if we end up in danger I'm using this." Tubbo took out of his bag a blue and almost transparent sphere.  
  


"An escape orb?! You think we just gonna run away?! No way!.. Well, if we encounter something REALLY scary then, I suppose…" Tommy crossed his arms on his chest and looked away.  
  


"Shall we go now? I think we're ready." Wilbur asked, finally being able to speak over these two.  
  


"Oh, right. Yeah, let's go. Will, please tell me you at least remember where this dungeon is!"  
  


"Uh, no… I don't actually" Wilbur smiled faintly.  
  


Tubbo looked at the taller man confusedly. Then he exchanged looks with Tommy still looking concerned.  
  


"Uhh, Tubbo, we'll talk later, okay?" Tommy murmured and quickly changed the topic. Will felt a little uneasy and decided not to say anything. "The forest is past the prime path, let's hit the road!" Tommy began to lead the way confidently, Tubbo and Wilbur walked behind him.   
  


And so they began to walk down the wooden path. "Prime path"? What a weird name for just a single path. But he decided not to question it. Instead the brunet decided to look around the unknown territory while the boys were chatting about random stuff. They were going down the hill and Will managed to catch a glimpse of the surroundings. The forest surrounded them, but this one was less lush than the one he woke up in yesterday. Seems like someone takes good care of it. He could also see a few houses in the distance.  
  


Wilbur didn’t even notice when they entered a strange foggy area. The fog was so thick that the sunlight barely could get through. Maybe that’s why the grass and plants surrounding them looked barely alive. Soon they stopped at the entrance of the forest.  
  


“Well, here we are! So, Wilbur, do you remember anything yet?”  
  


Even though Soot wasn’t a part of this world for sure, he got a slight nostalgic feeling.  _ Like he was here before _ . But he couldn't ever be here.  _ Absolutely  _ not. But the brunet decided to tell Tommy anyway.

“I get the feeling I’ve been here before, but still no memories…” Wilbur replied.  
  


“Well, at least it’s something…” Tommy still looked disappointed.  
  


Tubbo looked like he wanted to ask something but for some reason didn’t.  
  


“May I ask?” Wilbur spoke first after a short silence. “What exactly are we supposed to find here?”  
  


“You don’t remember this but we actually never reached the deepest part of this dungeon when we were exploring ages ago. So we’ll try now! And maybe we can find a treasure there! I hope no one took it yet…” Tommy and Tubbo burned with impatience.   
  


“Let’s go already! I wonder what kind of treasure it is gonna be!” Tubbo exclaimed.  
  


“Yeah, let’s move. But be careful of monsters.”  
  


“Wait, monsters?!” Will instantly thought that it was a bad idea to go there. “W-what kind of monsters?..”  
  


“Well, zombies, skeletons, spiders… and many more. But we shouldn't encounter many here. I hope so… Waaait a minute, don’t tell me you’re scared!” Tommy exclaimed with a teasing tone.  
  


Will was in fact scared. He didn’t know what to expect from these kinds of enemies. Are they going to be like cliche cartoonish monsters or something more wicked and violent? He didn’t know. But the brunet decided not to show his fear, maybe this exploration will turn out very important somehow.  
  


“N-no, I’m not scared!” Wilbur denied.   
  


“Okaaay, I believe you” Tommy smirked. “Anyway, get your weapon out, just in case.” Just as he said that he took out his iron saber. The blade had a lot of scratches on it, seems like this weapon has been through a lot, but still gets its job done.  
  


Tubbo had a shiny diamond sword with him and he did as Tommy said. Wilbur did the same and took out his knife.   
  


“Hey, cool knife you have there!” Tommy noticed. “Actually Tubbo made it for me, but I kinda prefer my old saber, heh. No offence, okay?”  
  


“Yeah, it’s fine. I was practicing anyway, it’s not THAT good.” Tubbo replied modestly.  
  


“Honestly, Tubbo, you did a great job!” Wilbur praised the boy.  
  


“Heh, thanks…”  
  


“Okay, how about we go already?!” The blonde started to lose patience here.  
  


“I agree.”   
  


“Same here” Tubbo and Will replied at the same time.  
  


“Alriiight! Let’s stay close, everyone.”   
  


(“Tommy is acting a lot like a leader now. He has sure grown a lot.”)  
  


And so they entered a sinister forest. It felt like a maze and that fact was upsetting for everyone. But despite that they continued to proceed. Soon they understood that they chose a wrong path.  
  


“Wait, what? We came back right where we started...” Wilbur noticed. “I have an idea, but I don’t think I like it that much...”  
  


“Come on, spit it out!” Tommy demanded.  
  


“Fine. How about we split up and go separate ways? Eventually we should be able to find something interesting.”  
  


“Good idea actually. What do you think, Tubbo?” Even though Tommy didn’t like the idea that much, he still thought they could make at least some progress like this.  
  


“I’m not sure about this, but this is fine I think…” Tubbo had doubts.  
  


“Okay, we all agree then. I’ll go into the center.” Tommy pointed to the path behind him. “Will, you go right and, Tubbo, you go left. Everyone alright with it?”   
  


Both nodded in agreement. But Will had doubts just like Tubbo. He didn’t even know how to fight! But he didn’t want to give up.  
  


“If something bad happens, try to let everyone know, okay?” He looked at Tubbo and then at Wilbur but without waiting for an answer he said: “Good luck, everyone.”  
  


And just like that, Wilbur was left alone. He walked around always on guard and holding onto his weapon.  _ It’s awfully quiet in here.  _ Only the howling of wind can be heard in the distance. Soon ahead he saw a faint blue light emanating from the passage to his left. This definitely caught his attention and he walked towards it. He was brought into the small clearing with a stone pedestal in the center. Above it there was a strange swirly symbol floating in the air _. _ It was glowing and was emitting blue sparkles. On the sides there were dull rocks and they were wrapped with strange dark green vines. The sight overall was magical. As he watched the scenery and tried to figure out the purpose of it, he heard rustling behind him. Immediately he focused and looked at the sound’s direction. The shadow moved slowly towards Wilbur as he was standing there. Then when it got closer he could see the figure clearly. Without a doubt, it was a zombie. A creature with sick green skin and ripped clothes. He has seen it somewhere, hasn’t he?

The creature began to move even faster towards Will. He clenched his weapon in his hands. He wanted to touch the swirly symbol floating in the air, but he didn’t want to be killed by a zombie, for sure.  _ There was no choice but to fight.   
  
_

“B-bring it on!” Wilbur shouted loudly with a shaky voice at the sinister creature, trying to scare it off, but the zombie didn’t stop and it groaned violently. The man was patiently waiting for a moment to strike and when the zombie was a meter away from him, already holding out its claws to attack, he stabbed the undead in the head and pushed it away with his leg. The zombie staggered and fell on the grass, groaning for the last time.  
  


Wilbur couldn't feel his legs and fell on his knees to catch his breath. He killed someone for the first time. Even though it was a monster that was trying to kill  _ him,  _ Will still couldn't believe it. He glanced over to a zombie to check if it’s dead for sure. To his relief it was dead for good. He decided to finally stand up and check out the symbol. Wilbur walked towards it and hesitantly touched the floating pattern, it felt cold but other than that…  _ No reaction.   
  
_

(“It doesn’t do anything?! What a waste of time!”)  
  


And with that, he wanted to proceed further, but this clearing was put here for a reason, he thought. He decided to remember this pattern, just in case.   
  


After five minutes of wandering around, he heard another rustle behind him. The brunet quickly turned around expecting another zombie or something worse… But it was just Tommy.   
  


“Oh! Hey, big man!!” he exclaimed.  
  


“Tommy, don’t scare me like this ever again! I almost had a heart attack!” Wilbur scolded the teen.   
  


“Relaaax, it’s fine! By the way, have you found anything yet?”  
  


“Yes actually…” Will explained to Tommy what he found so far.  
  


“Ooh! I found something like this on my way here too!.. It might be a key to something, but I have no idea to what…” Tommy looked puzzled.  
  


“Have you seen Tubbo? Is he with you?”   
  


“Uhh, no… But I’m sure he’s fine! I think so… Let’s go, maybe he’s already waiting for us!”  
  


Then they went together. Surprisingly, they haven’t met a single monster on their way.   
  


Soon they found another clearing and a shadow standing in the distance. The figure turned around and happily headed towards the two. The brothers were prepared to fight, but then they saw that it was just Tubbo.   
  


“H-hey, don’t point these on me!” boy shouted and then giggled a little.

  
“Heeey, Tubbo! There you are! Glad you made it!” Tommy greeted his friend.  
  


“You two seem fine as well! Follow me, I found something interesting ahead.” Tubbo enthusiastically began to lead his allies to this “something”. Soon they stopped near a translucent barrier that looked like a door. It was large and there were different six symbols written on it.The prickly and large rose bushes were on the sides of the barrier and spread even further like an impassable wall. In front of it there was a stone tablet in the ground. Аs it later became known, it is a pressure plate, because Tommy accidentally stepped on it while trying to take a closer look at the closed passage. Everyone was relieved because it didn’t activate anything.  
  


“And what is  _ this  _ supposed to mean?!” Tommy was already losing patience. Puzzles weren't his thing.   
  


“Patience, Tommy… Hmm…” Wilbur connected two dots together and said: “I think I figured it out.” He turned to Tubbo. “Tubbo, have you seen some strange pattern on your way here?”   
  


“Pattern?.. Oh, yeah, I’ve seen something like it!.. I-I think I know what you mean!” Tubbo exclaimed and they both seemed to solve the puzzle while Tommy looked confused.  
  


“Hey! Did you figure out how to open the door?! Tell me, Will!” the youngest in the group demanded.   
  


“Okay, okay, I’ll explain. Have you remembered the symbol you found earlier?” Will still didn’t understand why Tommy hasn’t figured it out yet.  
  


“Uhh, yeah I did. It was so shiny that I could not forget it! Wait, you mean we just have to press the right symbols on the door?”  
  


“There you go, you got it!” Wilbur teased him.  
  


Tommy glared at his brother.  
  


“Okay, let’s press the right symbols!” Wilbur came up to the gleaming barrier and put his hand onto the symbol he found. The outline of it began to glow. He was glad he remembered it after all.  
  


Tommy and Tubbo did the same and the symbols they pressed formed a triangle. But still no reaction…  
  


“Huh?.. Nothing happened. Oh, wait… We must stand on the pressure plate perhaps.” Tubbo removed his hand from his symbol, unexpectedly for everyone, it stopped glowing.  
  


“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll press it for you! Go stand on the pressure plate.” Tommy reassured his friend.  
  


As soon a Tubbo stood on it, the symbols began to flicker. It has been activated so the brothers stepped back a little just to be safe. The barrier then instantly disappeared and left only the sparkles floating after itself.  
  


“Bingo! We opened it!!!” Tommy exclaimed happily.  
  


“Yes!” Tubbo did the same.  
  


“It’s all good, but we still don’t know what’s in there” Wilbur reminded them and pointed to the newly opened passage.   
  


“Yeah, fair enough. What are we waiting for then?!” And Tommy hurried to enter the unknown path.  
  


Tubbo and Wilbur did the same. Soon after a minute they saw a light emanating ahead of them. It was nothing like the light from the odd symbols, in fact it was even brighter.  
  


“Hey, I guess we’re getting close!” Tommy ran towards the light.  
  


“Wait for us!” Tubbo shouted to his friend but the boy didn't seem to notice.  
  


They both caught up to Tommy and suddenly the boy stopped amazed. Tommy and Will couldn't ignore the scenery either. In a cloud of light there was something floating. Something mysterious, something they have never seen before. It looked like an odd blue gear. Wilbur looked at the precious treasure with amazement. The sight was truly breathtaking.   
  


(“Huh?... Why is my heart beating so fast when I look at it?.. Maybe it’s calling me?.. No, ridiculous, it’s not a living thing… What’s happening?”)   
  


“This is so cool…” Tommy finally broke the silence. “I’m not sure what is it though…”  
  


“Me too…” Tubbo replied. “But it seems so valuable and important…”  
  


Wilbur stepped forward to the strange item and stretched out his hand to the odd gear.  
  


“H-hey, what are you doing?!” Wilbur snapped back into reality. “We don’t know if we can take it…”  
  


Wilbur hesitated but replied: “Tommy, look, this must be the treasure we’ve been looking for the entire day. We solved the puzzle in order to even be here. I think we deserve to take it. Remember, you wanted to take the treasure with you as well. Then why hesitate?” Wilbur didn’t know why he had a sudden urge to take it, but for some reason he did not question it.   
  


“I don’t know about it too, Wilbur…” Tubbo suddenly stepped in. “It may be important…”  
  


Will hesitated. But the urge to take it was stronger and he took it. As soon as he took it the light disappeared leaving team in the dark. Then they saw something deep in the forest: it was the light and it was quickly approaching them. At this second a sudden tremor began.   
  


“It’s not safe here! WE MUST RUN!” Tommy shouted and everyone else thought it was a good idea.  
  


They hurried away from the possible danger and managed to get away. Weirdly enough, the light wasn’t following them and the tremor has stopped. The three immediately fell on the ground, exhausted from running.  
  


“W-what the hell was that?!” Tommy exclaimed when he took a breath.  
  


“I don’t know, but whatever it was, it tried to kill us!” Tubbo pointed out.  
  


While the two kids were discussing what just happened, Wilbur looked at his hand that was clenching the odd item. It looked beautiful and shone in the sun with all the colors of the rainbow. Truly bewitching. But the sudden yell interrupted Wilburs thoughts.  
  


“It’s all YOUR fault! If you would’ve felt it alone, we’d be safe!” Tommy pointed at him accusingly.  
  


“Tommy, relax. I think it was just a trap for stopping us from taking the treasure. Nothing more.” Will wasn’t sure about that though.  
  


“Huh, you think so?..” The kid seemed to calm down a little. Even though Tommy was a little rebellious, he still looked up to his older brother and always tried to be like him. So he decided to trust Will. “I think it  _ was  _ just a trap too, heh.”  
  


“Ooh, let me look at what we got!” Tubbo got up and asked Will if he could see the treasure.  
  


“Sure, Tubbo! Here.” He handed Tubbo the gear.  
  


Tubbo admired the item with childish curiosity: “Sooo cool!” Then handed it back.

  
By the time they finished their exploration the sun was already setting. 

  
“Well, it’s time to go home.” Wilbur said, looking at the sunset. 

  
“You’re right! Ughh, I’m just exhausted!” Tommy stretched his arms up.

  
“Yeah, let’s go back!” Tubbo agreed and suddenly yawned.

  
Will put the treasure in the bag and they headed back in town. So many things happened today and Wilbur couldn’t believe that something like this could ever happen to him. Today was crazy, but who knows what might happen tomorrow. For now, he’s just happy with the adventure they had together.

  
  


***

_ The wind, the sun and moon setting and rising every day, the nature that has been blessing humans and other living beings since the beginning with food, water and shelter… We became so used to all of this that we don’t notice the significance of it anymore. But what if someday… it might just disappear? Perish. Be gone forever... _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this chapter turned out huge, sorry :O I was writing it for 6 hours straight, man! Anyway, might need a short break after this... Hope you still enjoyed it!


	4. The Storm After the Quiet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw// a few swear words (just a little) (idk it bothers someone maybe...)

~~~~~~~~~~~

("Huh?.. It's that dream again.")  
  


Again. The swirling green room is haunting him again. But this time the figure was a bit clearer.  
  


"Who's there?" Will asked confidently. He has already been through this, but still no answers...

"I… M… D..r.." the voice answered but Will could not make out a single word. The voice was familiar though...

"I-is that you, Dream?!" Wilbur shouted. But the strange shadow disappeared, once again, leaving Will alone with his thoughts.

~~~~~~~~~~~  
  


Wilbur and Tommy were eating breakfast. Well, Tommy was but Will was just staring at his bowl.  
  


“Uhh, Will? Is something wrong?” Tommy asked his brother but didn’t get any response. “Heeeey, Earth to Wilbur!” he shouted.  
  


Wilbur snapped back into reality and jumped a little.  
  


“There, now you’re listening! Now, what’s with you today?” the blonde was genuinely concerned.

“Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about something… Nevermind.”

“Hey, I think I know what you’re thinking about!” Tommy got up from his chair and took the odd item from Wilburs bag and put it on a table. “This!” 

“Uhh, not exactly…” 

“Ohh… but let’s agree, it looks cool as heck!”

  
Wilbur examined the item once again. It looked just as pretty as yesterday.  
  


“We still don’t know what it might be and what it might be used for… So let’s not brag about it to everyone, Tommy.”

“Oh, come on! You know I wouldn't do that!” Wilbur gave Tommy that sarcastic “Yeah, I’m sure you wouldn’t” look.

“Ok, fine, maybe I would... “ Tommy crossed his arms on his chest. “But not about the treasure, okay?!”

  
Wilbur chuckled and as they finished their breakfast, then suddenly he had an idea.  
  


“Tommy, is there a library in the… town, or something like this?”

“Ooh, you think we can read about this thing? 

“Exactly.”

“I don’t actually know if we have one… No, we definitely don’t. Hey, you should know about thi- Oh, right…” Tommy suddenly remembered and it upset him a little. “But hey!”  
  
He decided to quickly change the topic. “I know who has lots of books!”

“And who it might be?”

“Sam! You remember this guy right? He’s smart you know!”  
  
  
(“Huh, is he talking about awesamdude?”)  
  


“Yeah, I remember him.”  
  
“He’s staying for a few days here with Punz, I heard. We gotta ask him!”

“Sure, let’s go.”

  
They decided not to waste any more time and headed to Punz. They walked down the wooden path and suddenly…  
  


“Wha- Did you see that?!” Tommy exclaimed.

“What exactly am I supposed-” Wilbur looked in that direction Tommy was looking and he wasn’t going crazy: he did in fact see someone. They quickly hid behind the bush, but   
  
it wasn’t very stealthy.

  
“Shhh…” Wilbur put the finger to his lips.  
  


Tommy nodded and they agreed to check the hiding spot. But suddenly something invisible ran away from the bush, leaving the two confused.   
  


“What in the world was that?” Will looked at the quickly fleeing shadow.

“Uhh, I dunno, but... Let’s just move on...” Tommy laughed nervously.  
  
  


Soon they arrived at Punz’s house, but Tommy hesitated to knock on the door.  
  


“What’s wrong, Tommy?”

“Uhh, it’s just… Well, we with Punz are not exactly on good terms right now, if you know what I mean… heheh…”

  
Wilbur rolled his eyes and asked: “What did you do already?”  
  


“You knock, okay?” Tommy quickly pushed Will to the door, but the owner had already opened the door himself.

“Oh, hey Wilbur! Long time no see!” Punz was really surprised to see Will, as much as Sam, standing near his friend. “Where have you been all these months?” 

  
Punz looked at Tommy that was hiding behind the taller’s back and his mood immediately changed.  
  


“Hi, Punz! Sorry to bother you, we just came to see Sam. I heard he’s staying for a few days here.” Will saw Punz glaring at Tommy. “Uhh, don’t worry about him, heh”

“Uhh, okay… Please, come in!” Punz exclaimed and invited his guests inside. The building was even more impressive inside. On the left there was a huge spiral staircase upwards. On the right there were two doors. But for the most important thing - there was a large bookcase made out of dark oak wood with lots of books on it!

“Hi, Will, heard you were looking for me” Sam suddenly spoke.

“Ah, yes. We were wondering, you have a lot of books, right? Specifically, about ancient artifacts or something like this.”

“To be honest, I’m not sure… Haven’t checked them in a while, heh. And I doubt there will be books about that stuff, I mostly collect books about redstone machinery and mechanisms.”

“Oh, is that so?..”

“What exactly are you looking for? I’ve been reading about The Seven Treasures recently. I probably do have something you need. One second.” Punz got up from the sofa and walked towards the bookshelf.   
  


(“Can we talk about the gear we found? I’m not sure... Oh, I figured it out!”)  
  


“Well, there is this treasure…” Tommy interrupted Will and spoke first. “I’m not sure what it’s called, but it looks like a blue gear. It’s also apparently really shiny!” 

  
(“What did I say, not to brag about the treasure?!”) Wilbur gave Tommy an intimidating look and he instantly regretted saying it.  
  


“Blue gear, huh?.. You may be talking about Time Gear, am I right? There is no way you don’t know about it!” Sam gave Tommy a suspicious look.

“Uhh... “ Tommy felt intimidated even more.

“ _Time Gear?_ What is it?” Will asked.

“Did you really guys forget? Everyone knows the legend, are you serious?”

“Uhh, I know the legend, I just forgot what it was called. But Wilbur, well, forgot apparently… Some stuff happened and now he doesn’t remember anything besides people…”   
  
Tommy frowned. Sam looked like he wanted to ask more, but decided to remain silent, instead he looked at Will concerned.  
  


Punz suddenly intervened in the conversation: “I can remind you of the legend if you want!” He immediately got excited and walked over to the group.

“That would be great! Thank you, Punz.” 

The group went silent so Punz could begin the story.  
  


“So, the Time Gears are ancient artifacts, there are five of them in total. It is said that Time Gears are hidden in secret places around the world. Like deep in a forest... Or at a  
  
lake in an underground cavern… I’ve even heard that there is one inside of a volcano! Time gears serve a very important function. Each one protects time and keeps time  
  
flowing normally in its region…”  
  


(“What?! So, yesterday we found... A Time Gear?! Didn’t think it was that serious! W-What have we done?!”) Tommy and Wilbur exchanged terrified looks.  
  


“...But there is something I don't know. What happens if a region loses its time gear? I can only presume, but my guess is that if a Time Gear is removed from a region, the flow  
  
of time in that region will probably stop too. That’s why we don’t disturb the Time Gears. Because everyone knows that some kind of disaster would strike if we do… Well, this  
  
is everything I know about them.”  
  


“Thanks for reminding me of the legend. But we must go now, s-sorry, Punz!” Wilbur stood up and Tommy followed.

“Oh, it’s nothing, I was glad to help! Bye!”

“See you later!” and the two were about to leave, but Sam shouted:

“Wait!” The two turned around. “If you’re looking for ancient books, you should definitely check out the rumours about the Burned Tower. Apparently, there is a super secret library under it. I wanted to check it out for a long time already! Do you have a map with you?

“Uhh…” Tommy checked inside of his bag. “Nope, sorry…” 

“That’s okay. Here, I’ll show you on this map.” He pointed on the map that was hanging on the wall. The three of them walked to the map. “It’s here somewhere. By the way, can I come too? If there is a library, I’m sure there is some ancient redstone knowledge!” 

“Yes, sure! How about we go tomorrow?” Wilbur definitely didn’t want to go today.

“Sounds good to me! We’ll meet near the Socialising Club.” Sam sure looked excited.

“Okay! Now, if you excuse us, we must go!.. Bye!” The two hurried to leave.

They arrived back at their house and Wilbur shouted: “You know the legend, why didn’t you tell me it was important?!”

“How did I know it was a Time Gear?! I haven’t seen it ever in my life! I was confused myself when I described the gear to Sam!” Tommy denied.  
  


Will sighed and tried to calm down. While Tommy began to rant and nervously walking around the room:  
  


“We just fucking stole it! They’d think that we’re thieves! Oh my god, what we should do?! They're gonna find out and… I don’t even know what they would do to us! And the time-”

“Tommy, calm down!” Wilbur stopped Tommy. “Listen, we're just gonna return the gear where it belongs and everything is gonna be fine!”

Tommy gave the brunet a worried look, but then replied: “...Okay, let’s go now!”  
  


And so they took the Time Gear and hurried back into the Forest of Spirits. But suddenly they stopped shocked.   
  


“W-What the?!..”  
  


They were standing in the center of a small meadow. The plants and trees surrounding them were colored grey. The wind wasn’t blowing at all… Everything was standstill.   
  


“L-Look!” Tommy exclaimed. “Dew on the leaf is just frozen in place!.. What the heck happened here?!”

“As Punz told us, if someone removes the Time Gear from its region, the time completely stops in it. Well, we just confirmed that... Anyway, let’s go, quick!”  
  


Tommy nodded and they proceeded into the depths of the forest. The forest didn’t seem alive when Will saw it yesterday, but today it was even worse. There wasn’t even a single sound around them besides the two brothers walking. Even the monsters that would normally attack the trespassers were standing completely still, frozen in time…  
  


Soon they reached the clearing where Will took the gear. It was very dark in there, but they still could see their way.   
  


“Will, come on, what are you waiting for?! Place it back!” Tommy shouted nervously.

“Okay, okay, stop yelling!”

  
Wilbur came up to the pedestal and held out the Time Gear. Suddenly, he felt like the gear was floating and removed his hand from the gear.  
  


(...)  
  


Other than it was floating in its rightful place… _No reaction.  
  
_

“Huh?! Nothing’s happening… But… How could this be?!” Tommy felt desperate.  
  


Wilbur was confused too.   
  


“I put the Time Gear right where it belongs. But why is the time still frozen?..” Will frowned.

“I think we should leave it here, maybe it needs some time…”

“No, it won’t help… But we should leave it here anyway, who knows what might happen…”

“Wilbur, it’s all your fault!” Tommy pointed at him. “We should’ve left it alone, but you insisted! I thought you knew what you were doing!.. I trusted you!” The blonde was already on edge.

“...Listen, Tommy! I know, I messed up! I really didn’t know what I was doing and I’m sorry! I mean it!.. But my apology won't solve anything that's happening with time. And you know what? I must make up for my mistakes… I have to fix everything I’ve done. I don’t know where to start though…”  
  


After a short silence Tommy suddenly exclaimed: “Wait, I’m with you!”  
  


Will looked at the kid surprised. Didn’t he hate him just a day ago?  
  
“Look, I won’t let you deal with this alone! After all, I was here with you too… And even though you didn’t listen to me and Tubbo at all, I’m still a bit responsible…” Tommy crossed his arms on his chest.

“...Tommy, thank you so much… Together we’ll get to the bottom of this. I promise you.”

“Yeah, sure... Oh, maybe tomorrow we’ll find something that will help us in that library!”

“Don’t get your hopes up. Sam said it may be just a rumour.”  
  
“Come ooon, Will, you’re not fun at all! There must be something, I’m just sure of it!”

“...Anyway, we probably should go back.” Wilbur pointed out.

“I agree, let’s go.”

  
Wilbur took a last look on the lifeless Time Gear just frozen in the air.   
  


(“I will figure out how to return time back to normal. I just have to!”)

  
And with that they left the forest. Tommy looked at the sky and for their surprise, the sun was already setting.  
  


“Wow, I didn’t even notice how the day already ended!”

“Yeah, that’s strange…”

  
And so they headed back home. 

***

Will said goodnight to his brother and went into his room. He laid on his bed and, once again, his mind was filled with many many thoughts. 

(“I still haven’t figured out what am I doing here and I’ve already decided to save the world!.. Well, I _am_ still responsible… Come to think of it, why am I here?.. Maybe I was chosen… But that’s ridiculous! Why the heck me?!.. I don’t think that I’m _that_ special to be sent to different worlds… Okay, I need to calm down. I’ll find the answer, I’m sure of it. Someday…”)

***

_“Something feels... wrong… with the space… Wilbur… Is that because of you?.. You’re just like me, right?.. You’re not supposed to be here…”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah... Lets be honest, this chapter is kinda weak... I swear, I'm gonna pop off in next one!


End file.
